Byrne Studies Race On Republican Slate

Jane Byrne, former cochairman of the Cook County Democratic Party, acknowledged Friday that she is considering running for mayor in 1987 as a Republican.

``Party labels and being tagged as something aren`t selling anymore,``

Byrne said when asked in a television interview about a possible party switch in her political comeback.

For the last two weeks, Byrne has been conferring with Dana Herring, a New York political consultant, about her 1987 strategy. She is expected to announce her candidacy for mayor formally this year.

In a recent private poll, Byrne tested her potential strength in a general election as a Republican candidate and said that she retained most of her political base.

Despite her Democratic past, Byrne has some GOP ties. In 1979, she was offered the Republican nomination for mayor but turned it down. She was endorsed for re-election in 1983 by several Republicans, including former Gov. Richard Ogilvie and former State Rep. Susan Catania.

Byrne was considered among President Reagan`s favorite Democratic mayors. After Byrne lost in the 1983 Democratic primary, several top White House strategists wanted her to replace Bernard Epton as the Republican nominee. But Epton wouldn`t get out of the race.

``If we could have done that, it would not only have given us a big-city Republican mayor, but it would have helped take the edge off the gender gap,`` said a senior Reagan adviser, who asked not to be identified.

In taping ``Eyewitness Forum`` on WLS-TV, which will be broadcast Sunday, Byrne said she is considering a comeback because Mayor Harold Washington has been an ineffective mayor.

``If a person is doing a good job and you think he`s doing a good job, then you do something else,`` she said. ``If we were to judge the current mayor on performance, he`s going to be found wanting.``

She blamed Washington for the stalled redevelopment efforts at Navy Pier and in the North Loop and for the uncertain status of the 1992 Chicago World`s Fair.

Byrne also criticized the mayor`s sense of humor, suggesting that he isn`t taking the job seriously enough. ``That attitude of it`s all a big joke --we`re all going to pay for,`` she said.